This invention relates to a new and unique nut cheese food product and the process by which it is prepared.
Peanut butter is ordinarily composed of ground roasted peanuts, stabilizer, and optionally emulsifiers, sweeteners, salt, coloring and flavoring agents. Specialty type peanut foods have been developed including a sweetened peanut food product consisting essentially of peanuts and a non-intimate mixture of jam, jelly or marshmallow as described in U.S. Pat. No. 3,278,314. Another specialty type of peanut food is that consisting of a homogeneous blend of peanuts and sweetening agent such as honey as described in U.S. Pat. No. 3,995,068.
There is also a peanut cheddar cheese which is taught by U.S. Pat. No. 2,989,400.
Food spreads of various types are also known including simulated cheeses as disclosed for example in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,310,406, 3,397,994 and 3,397,995. Each of these simulated cheese products requires refrigeration, as do products containing cheese. A method of producing shelf stable simulated meat pate; spreads or dips from dairy products is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,836,683.
It is an object of this invention to prepare a flavorful nutritious peanut cheese food product which has a long shelf life at room temperature and which can vary from a firm cheddar cheese like texture to a soft spreadable consistency. The product of the present invention therefore does have an advantage of being suitable for use in a number of different products including, for example, whole wedges or blocks, slices, sandwich spreads, balls, and even in pressurized or aerosol cans.